NATALIE CLARKE -PERSONAL INJURY LAW "FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE"
Natalie Clarke sees herself as the “David” to fight Goliath.
For more than a decade, Natalie Clarke has advocated for personal injury victims, recovering compensation not just for seriously injured individuals, but also their family members.
She has reached a high level of success with a myriad of cases that include vehicle accidents, spinal injuries, brain and head injury, chronic pain cases, slip and falls, negligence, and many others.
If you do get into a car accident, for example, and you need help, and you’re not able to work or afford a lawyer, “this where a personal injury lawyer steps in.”
The majority of her clients have been injured by the fault of someone else.
“I am dedicated to bringing justice to accident victims and their families,” she says. “I’m passionate about not letting insurance companies keep the money that should belong to the injured.”
As you’ll note in this up close and personal interview, her dedication for helping people extends farther back than just her current legal practice.
During law school, she volunteered for the family services at the Family Law Court and was involved in assisting victims of domestic violence as well as new immigrants.
My Business Magazine caught up with Natalie Clarke, to ask
her what she’s most passionate about in terms of her work, her goals and her experiences.
MBM: What initially interested you in law; that is, what was the impetus to pursue it as a career?
NC: My older sister was struck by a car as a pedestrian. She was in a hospital with two broken legs, collarbone fracture and a concussion for two months. She has never been the same since and relies heavily on the family for help. The auto-insurance compensation system was not sufficient and the family ended up supporting her. I felt compelled to get into law and make the system better. It’s an insurmountable fight against a very strong insurance industry with numerous lobbyists working to protect their billion dollar profits on the back of individuals like my sister, and ultimately all Ontario tax payers as people end up using OHIP.
MBM: Can you give me an example that stands out of a case where you felt you made a particular difference in someone’s life?
NC: I find particularly rewarding working on cases that involve children or people with mental disability. There is no one to protect them. The buck stops with me, and my performance as their lawyer. The degree of the success on their case directly affects their lives. I am very passionate about those cases, and I work hard even if I don’t make any money. It’s my pro-bono contribution to our society. I don’t like seeing large insurance companies take advantage of the most vulnerable in our society.
MBM: Who do you consider role models in your life and why?
NC: Starting with my father in the Soviet Ukraine, he was an auto-engineer and a workaholic. He modernized every place he worked at, and had 18 patents of inventions. But he was squashed by the Communist Party for refusing to join, and died of a stroke at the age of 63. I could no longer stay in that country... After I graduated from high school, I left at the age 19 and
enrolled in high school here... I now do what I love the most. I fight for the underdog.
"I bring justice to those who can’t afford to pay for a lawyer. I take on the Goliath's of the insurance industry for those who are the most vulnerable in our society – the injured victims of another’s negligence."
MBM: Tell me about a time you sought out a detail nuance of a case that you think might have been missed by a cookie cutter team elsewhere?
NC: A man came into my office asking me to sue a driver for operating a vehicle while under the influence. This driver slammed the car at a high speed into a pile of other cars and eventually into a building. My client did
not speak English and did not speak to the police, hence, he was not noted in the motor vehicle accident report.
The driver took advantage of that, and refused to admit that my client was a passenger. I had to go from door to door at the location of the accident until I found a restaurant owner who not only remembered my client, she helped him out of the smoking car and sat him on the curb. He took a taxi to the hospital as he had a fractured wrist. No lawyer would believe my client or take his case on. When I saw tears rolling down this strong, large man’s eyes, I had to help. I ended up recovering good compensation for his fractured wrist.
Dave Gordon has penned more than a thousand articles, and more than five hundred editorials, on every topic imaginable. He writes regularly on domestic and international politics, current events, culture, relationship issues, and much more.
He has spent time in the newsrooms of the Toronto Sun, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Baltimore Sun, National Post and eye Weekly.
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